Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Remembrance of Simeon and Anna, two elderly who were waiting for the Lord with faith. Prayer for the elderly. Memorial of the centurion Cornelius, the first pagan who was converted and baptized by Peter. Read more
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Remembrance of Simeon and Anna, two elderly who were waiting for the Lord with faith. Prayer for the elderly. Memorial of the centurion Cornelius, the first pagan who was converted and baptized by Peter.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Luke 2,22-40
And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord- observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord- and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised; for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have made ready in the sight of the nations; a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel. As the child's father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed- and a sword will pierce your soul too -- so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.' There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And as the child grew to maturity, he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today all Christian Churches celebrate the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Gospel of Luke refers to the Law of Moses according to which a mother had to present her firstborn male child in the temple forty days after his birth. In order to perform the ceremony of purification, she had to offer a lamb or a pair of doves as a sacrifice to the Lord. The consecration of the firstborn, as is done with every first fruit, reminded all the people of Israel of God’s primacy over life and all of creation. Mary and Joseph, obedient to the Law of Moses, did all that was prescribed and brought Jesus to the temple to consecrate him before the Lord. They were poor and, unable to purchase a lamb for the sacrifice, offered a pair of doves. In fact, they were offering the "true Lamb" for the salvation of the world.
The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is one of the few feasts celebrated by both the Western and Eastern Churches. The celebration - once called the "solemn encounter" - already existed in Jerusalem during the first centuries. A procession through the city streets commemorated the Holy Family’s journey with the new-born baby Jesus from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. To this day, the holy liturgy has preserved the procession, to which the benediction of candles had been added during the tenth century: this detail gave the festival its popular name of "Candlemas." The light that we receive during the liturgy unites us not only to Mary and Joseph who go up to the Temple but also to Simeon and Anna who both welcome the infant, the "light to the nations."
Simeon sang, adopting the words of the prophet Isaiah in chapters forty-two and forty-nine on the Servant of the Lord. Simeon was a righteous man, fearful of God, "looking forward to" the consolation of Israel; he felt the warmth of the fire he was about to receive and "guided by the Spirit
Simeon came into the temple
and took the child in his arms and praised God." Just as Mary and Joseph had first done, Simeon now does the same, "taking the infant," and he is filled with infinite consolation that gives rise in his heart to one of the most beautiful prayers, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace
for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Lk 2:29-32).
Simeon and the prophetess Anna were elderly; the Gospel specifies her age, eighty-four. They represent Israel and all of humanity who wait for "redemption," but we can also see in them all the aged, the elderly. And so, Simeon and Anna exemplify a beautiful old age. More and more frequently in society, we view elders, men and women, who are sad and resigned to their futures; their only consolation, when possible, is to feel nostalgia for their now distant youth. The Gospel today seems to loudly affirmand it is right to shout out in our societies, which are particularly cruel toward the eldersthat old age is not a failure, a disgrace, or a misfortune, not a time when we have to suffer, but rather a time to live with hope.
Simeon and Anna seem to step out from the crowded chorus of sad and anguished people to proclaim to all: "It is beautiful to be elderly! The elder years can be lived fully with hope and joy." Simeon and Anna’s song is inconceivable and incomprehensible in a society where only strength and wealth count; it is precisely from this mentality that the violence and cruelty of life spring forth. Today Simeon and Anna come to meet us. They announce the Gospel to us, the good news to all of society. They did not focus solely on their weaknesses and their fading strength. In that child, they found new company, new energy, an additional meaning for their old age. Simeon, after having held the infant in his arms, was able to sing the "Nunc dimittis" without the sadness of someone who had wasted his life and did not know what would happen to him. Anna, the elderly woman, from that encounter received new energy and strength to "praise God and to speak about the child" to whomever she met. She received a new vocation even in her old age. Truly Simeon and Anna are an example for all believers, especially-for-those who are advanced in age. They show a spiritual way to live the last part of our life. For them it was the most important one. It might also be so for many elderly men and women today.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
